It was established as the Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service (RAFNS) in 1918, and became part of the permanent establishment as the Royal Air Force Nursing Service on 27 January 1921. It received the Royal prefix after Princess Mary agreed to become its Patron in June 1923.
It was a women-only branch until 1980, when men were also permitted to join. Until the Second World War, it was only open to unmarried women, or childless widows. There was also a Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (Reserve) (PMRAFNS(R)) to supplement the regular service during times of war or emergencies.
A history of the service was commissioned from the writer Mary Mackie and appeared in 2001.[1] An updated and extended edition covering subsequent decades (including service in Afghanistan) was published in September 2014.[2]
Ranks
The initial ranking system used by the PMRAFNS was as follows.
From 1 June 1943, PMRAFNS personnel were granted emergency Commissions, and wore rankinsignia corresponding to their equivalent Royal Air Force officer rank. On 1 February 1949, the women's forces were integrated into the Armed Forces, and a new ranking system was introduced, although professional titles were still used on the wards.
^Laura Margaret Holroyde, Register of Sisters and Nurses; RLHLH/N/4/3, 133; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London
^Laura Margaret Holroyde, Register of Probationers; RLHLH/N/1/15, 138
^Matrons Report to House Committee, 8 January 1917; House Committee Minutes, 1916–1918; RLHLH/A/5/55, 160; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London
^Rogers, Sarah (2022). 'A Maker of Matrons'? A study of Eva Lückes's influence on a generation of nurse leaders:1880–1919' (Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Huddersfield, April 2022)
